Larissa Judson and Haskell Palmer novel Chapter 748

“Dad… I didn’t need this… I never needed you to do this…”

The room spun around Leopold, his vision tunneling to black as all the strength drained from his body. A wave of profound absurdity and nausea churned in his stomach, and he fought the urge to vomit.

Finley stood in the shadows, his lips trembling violently. He opened his mouth several times, but no words came out. He instinctively wanted to look at his mother but couldn't bear to see the despair on her face. He could only clench his fists, his nails digging so deeply into his palms that the sharp pain was the only thing grounding him against the tearing of his soul.

SLAP!

A crisp, sharp sound shattered the suffocating silence.

Vivica had stumbled across the room to Paxton. She had poured every ounce of her strength into that slap, channeling thirty years of a shattered marriage and the bone-deep hatred of being treated as a disposable pawn.

Paxton’s head snapped to the side, his cheek instantly turning a blotchy red.

Vivica began to laugh, a low, chilling sound that echoed in the dead-silent room, filled with desperate mockery.

The laughter grew louder, higher, and more shrill, finally morphing into a hysterical accusation:

“Paxton, you make it sound so noble! Using my life for our sons’ futures? Hahaha… I was married to you for thirty years! Thirty years! I bore your children, stood by you through thick and thin! And in the end…”

“Larissa,” Kiernan’s voice was hollow, carrying the weight of a final decision, “Paxton has committed an unforgivable, monstrous act. The evidence and witnesses are all here. You don’t need to ask for this old man’s opinion. When morning comes, hand him, the hitman, and all the evidence over to the police.”

“Dad! You can’t do this! You can’t send me to prison!” Paxton felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. The manic flush drained from his face, leaving behind an ashen terror.

He threw himself at Kiernan’s feet, clinging to his father’s legs and wailing.

“Dad! Listen to me. It wasn’t me. It really wasn’t! Lucius hired the hitman. It was his idea. He manipulated me! I was… I was just led astray. Dad! You have to believe me. I’m your son! You can’t abandon me, Dad!”